This year's public school enrollment count shows that many districts are starting to gain back students for the first time since the pandemic.
Overall, public school enrollment across Washington has climbed by about 2,000 students this year, a 0.2% increase from last year, according to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Enrollment reached a high in 2019 with 1,146,882 students and dropped to a low of 1,091,343 in the 2021-22 school year. This year, 1,098,997 students are enrolled.
But many districts in the Puget Sound region continue to record student numbers that are well below the enrollment they enjoyed before the pandemic, which has resulted in dire financial binds. In places where enrollment has dipped the most, such as Bainbridge Island, administrators are now grappling with potential school closures.
Superintendent Chris Reykdal noted in his annual update this month that districts are still strapped financially because state funding formulas "immediately drive money away from districts as enrollments go down."
"That is hard," Reykdal added. "If you are in a community and they are considering closing your elementary school, it is personal to you, you may have gone to that school, it is very visceral, it is very powerful for you."
School closings may be inevitable as the school-age population shrinks, not just here but across the country, because the national birthrate has fallen in the last two decades. "Just as we built schools when we were growing, there are times where you have to let go of some older facilities in times of contraction," Reykdal said.
On Bainbridge, the proposal to close one or two schools came as a shock to families that generally hold the district's schools in high regard.
The Bainbridge Island School District presented the community with two options, one of which would close down Ordway Elementary — the elementary school that serves the highest population of the island's students of color — and relocate the district's Spanish immersion program. The other option would close either Ordway or Commodore, and one of the buildings would house the choice schools together (Odyssey K-8, Mosaic, El Velero).
Katie Lesh, the parent of a kindergartner who attends Ordway Elementary and is in the Spanish immersion program, said it seemed irrational that one of the district's options would save less money and also get rid of a central campus, disproportionately affecting people of color and lower-income families.
Erin Bischoff, a district spokesperson, said Ordway Elementary and Commodore Options School are two of the oldest facilities in the district, which is why they're on the list of potential closures. The other elementary schools, Blakely Elementary and x̌alilc (Halilts) Elementary, were built recently.
In the district's long-range planning, Ordway and Commodore were listed as needing replacement or extensive modernization, Bischoff added.
The district recently formed a "consolidation advisory committee," which includes parents and staff, in hopes of bringing more community members' opinions into the fold. When Lesh found out, she got involved and is now serving on the committee. The district hopes to make a decision by March 15.
Tukwila, Mercer Island and Issaquah school districts lost the highest percent of students since 2019, according to OSPI's latest enrollment counts. Seattle, Bellevue, Marysville, Bainbridge Island and Renton school districts were close behind, losing either 7% or 8% of their students.
Twelve miles south of Seattle, the Tukwila School District experienced the greatest loss in enrollment in the region since 2019, but also the greatest gain — 6% — from the 2022-23 school year to the current school year.
Seattle Public Schools lost 8% of its student population since 2019, but from last year to this year enrollment only decreased by 2%.
Enrollment numbers can be in a continuous state of flux as families move in and out of districts, enroll in private schools or move to homeschooling. The figures are collected monthly by OSPI and are used to determine how much state funding each district receives.
The North Shore, Lake Washington, Everett and Edmonds school districts lost the fewest students since 2019. Auburn was the only district in the region to gain students since 2019, gaining 1%, or just over 200 students in the last four years.
Out of 16 districts in the region, more than half had stable enrollment, with no significant gains or losses.
But even when a school district is on the upswing enrollment-wise, it can still have a budget deficit.
One of the most controversial ways a school district can save money is to close down schools, although it's not always the most efficient. Last spring, Bellevue decided to close two elementary schools. It was considering closing a middle school this year, then changed course. Seattle decided to not close any schools for the coming 2024-25 school year but will consider that option in the 2025-26 school year.
The Marysville School District has considered not only closing schools but also getting rid of sports programs, closing the school's pool and eliminating librarians, as well as other jobs at the district, to make up for a $25 million deficit.
The district is currently under "binding conditions," meaning the state has stepped in to provide oversight. The district points to a double levy failure, declining enrollment and federal pandemic funds running out as among the reasons it has fallen into such financial trouble.
Jodi Runyon, a Marysville district spokesperson, said last week that the district doesn't intend to close any schools due to enrollment declines in the immediate future.
OSPI helps districts in dealing with enrollment declines by giving them technical advice about what they must provide for students according to the law, advocating to the state Legislature for more money to be spent on education and setting clear expectations about how reductions are going to have to happen.
